Deus Ex Machina
by Dispatching Kratt
Summary: It's writing year 2028 and the near future is here, 1 year after a so called Aug Incident. Chris is a loving husband, proud father of three children and he didn't thinks something can go wrong. Until one conspiracy theorist shows Zach's connection to Illuminati.. Interpol's agent Adam Jensen comes in. But before Chris will experience a terrible "accident"..
1. Chapter 1

For a thirty-seven-year-old father of three children, this was exactly the day he could devote himself to his family and his work.

He worked as a biologist: but not just some.

He's traveled a lot. He had experienced a lot of thrilling adventures, often his life or being kidnapped.

"Here I'm Dad!"

Chris heard the voice of a six-year-old boy, his second son, George, who just ran to him after hiding behind Jeep.

It was nice outside and the sun was shining. The family was out in the woods, and Chris, as a good father, tried to devote himself to his children. After all, he wanted them to have a better childhood than him.

"I tried to find you George, but I couldn't." Chris kneeled to his six-year-old son and he continued "Didn't you cheat?"

A six-year-old brown-haired boy wearing glasses, dressed in a white T-shirt printed with a roaring tyrannosaur, black pants and dark blue boots, looked at his father with a smile on his face.

"Why would I do that, Dad?"

"Because you're cunning like a fox."

"I don't know what Mom would say Daddy."

"Why?"

"I heard you and mom talking about me, that I'm different. I'm afraid you don't like me for that."

Chris changed his face when he heard this from his youngest son. George, as his youngest child, was born not only with poor vision, but also a slight form of autism - Asperger syndrome and ADHD.

He remembered that he and Aviva did not know how to react when they learned this from the doctors. Worse eyes would have been bitten, but the hard thing was that their son was living in his own world and could be an easy target of bullying at an older age. George was three years old when his doctors diagnosed him with Asperger's syndrome and ADHD.

Chris looked into his son's hazel eyes, bit his lip, trying to figure out what he would say to his youngest son.

"George, you're not responsible for this. I and your mom love you so much, you have a brother and sister who love you. If they were all the same, it would be boring."

"But Daddy-"

"You are different, but you have interesting hobbies that schoolmates can only envy at school. You're too clever, perhaps more than I am. And I'm glad you're here."

George pulled his father hard on the sleeve of his green sweater. Chris reacted immediately by looking into his eyes.

"When I grow up, I want to be a journalist."

"You can do it." Chris smiled

"I want to get the villain that hurts you and mommy in jail."

Chris swallowed. Fortunately, at that moment Chris heard the voice of his older brother Martin.

"Bro, what are you waiting for!? Our wives cooked us lunch!"

George turned at the same moment his father had heard his uncle's voice.

"Mommy was cooking. Are you hungry too?" Chris asked as he looked at his son. George nodded in the expression of yes.

Chris grabbed with his hand hand of his little son. After a few meters walk they were at a family picnic. Chris George let him go play with his older cousins (Martin's two daughters) while eating.

But when he wanted to sit on his blanket and put himself in his beloved wife, he glanced at his first two children.

"Ryan! What are you doing?!"

Chris called in a suspicious voice when he saw his eldest son moving away from the family group.

"There are school friends here! Leave me alone Dad!"

You get as much as you give. Ryan was supposed to be 13 this year, and according to that reaction, it was obvious that puberty was slowly climbing on him. Chris sighed after this scene. After all, he had heard from his other parents at class meetings several times that Ryan was torn off the chain. There was concern about whether he had inherited anything from his evil side.

Chris looked back at his middle child, his only daughter Carmen (given a Spanish name because of her mother).

Eight-year-old Carmen was sitting by a tree near a picnic and reading. Chris was relieved that his only daughter was calm and not as fierce as her older brother Ryan.

He returned to the picnic and snuggled to his wife - Aviva.

"I checked the kids. All of them are fine, but it looks like Ryan is already on puberty." Chris added, so he started talk.

"Puberty?" Martin's wife Emily asked as she looked kinda surprised into his face.

"Believe it or not, he's not afraid to yell at me anymore." Chris sighed and he continued "And how good he was when he was little."

Chris looked at Aviva as he felt her hand touch on his. Both of them were already some 12 years older since their first child was born, but in any case the love between them had not vanished.

"He'll get out of it. You remember what you got through in freshman in college." she said and Chris smiled.

"As if it was yesterday I fell in love with you there the first day."

She clutched to him, and it seemed they'd like to go out together and enjoy expressing their love for each other in private, but Martin who recognized it immediately checked it off.

"We eat now and the children are. Keep your sexual harassment for the evening."

Satisfying himself, Chris began to eat.

Approximately in the evening, Chris decided to bypass the area around Tortuga just to make sure there was nothing he could do before long after he and Aviva indulged in passionate nights full of lovemaking and all sorts of erotic kinds of love games while the kids will be sleeping.

He took a flashlight and, for sure, even a wilderness knife that he was carrying in his backpack.

When he found himself in the dark, he felt the tension of fear of darkness, but also of space for thought.

After a moment of walking he stopped on a hill near Falcon City, where he liked to go from college.

Falcon City has changed a lot since he was 20 and 25: now it was 2028 and Falcon City was an example of a futuristic city. There were a lot of new inventions in technology, especially robotics, so another novelty were cyborgs, in other words augmented people.

But last year there was a disaster that caused people, whether they had a robotic limb or not, to become racist towards each other. Because of this, Chris was worried about what future his children were growing up.

Suddenly, before he could do anything, he was attacked by a steel attacker. Finally, Chris knew he was being attacked by a robot, even though it looked like a middle-aged man, and he wanted to escape back to Tortuga.

It was a Zachbot. Finally, the machine grabbed Chris by force, and in an attempt to kill him, the robot tore his left hand in front of Chris' eyes.

Even though it was dark, Chris could see clearly how he had ripped out his bone, flesh, tendons, veins and blood vessels. There was blood everywhere, he was bleeding himself, and immediately he roared in pain.

The robot planned to kill the crippled father on the spot, but he heard a voice in the distance.

"Bro! Where are you?!"

When the robot heard Martin's voice, he would rather disappear. Chris could not recall how his attacker looked like when he crippled him.

Despite the pain, Chris tried to get to his Creature Pod as soon as possible and with the help of his weaker, now single-handed, call for help from Tortuga. He stopped when he heard Martin's voice in shock.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck..! Was this an accident or whatever it was to fuck!? I was supposed to come with you, I had to put my children to sleep if I knew what was going to happen to you... Fuck!"

When Chris saw in the flashlight that he was lying in a puddle of blood, that his left hand was torn off the ground in the bloody pieces of his own body, he fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

He opened his eyes. He blinked at once because of the sharp white light. By the color of the bright colors of the neighborhood he knew it was day. The look was blurry, but he heard familiar voices.

"He's waking up Aviva" He heard the voice of his older brother.

At the same time, he felt the touch of a woman's hand on his bare right hand. He felt his breathing deep.

The gaze focused again, and Chris found, that he was lying in a hospital bed.

"Aviva.." he murmured

"CK.." she said and he felt how she kissed him on cheek.

"Where are kids?" He took the power to ask his wife.

"When you were taken to the hospital, I made a deal with Jimmy and Koki to watch our children before you wake up. I didn't want them to see you like this, especially George."

"Aviva?" he askes and she looked up straight into his brown eyes.

"You have something in mind CK?"

"I don't feel my left hand. My dominant hand."

There was silence after this sentence. Chris took the power to move his head to the left side and almost fainted when he saw a robotic hand instead of his entire left upper limb. In addition to everything in the colors of his CPS.

"M-my l-left hand." Chris whined as he confirmed that his left hand was gone forever. The hand he was born with.

Aviva sighed as she hugged him, while he layed in his clothes from yesterday, instead of green sweater covered with a white blanket.

"We couldn't save your hand anymore, I'm sorry. Here in the hospital, the only option was augmentation, otherwise you would be handicapped."

"How do I explain this to children? That late in the night I had an accident that caused their dad to lose his hand!?" Chris burst out with rage, but Martin responded immediately.

"Chris calm down, then you spill your anger on something metal in Tortuga. I had a heart attack, both Aviva and me, don't make it worse."

Chris angrily tried to get up, but stopped when he saw the robotic arm react as he wanted.

"Well, that's me... it reacts as I want." Chris said and while sitting, still with his feet on the bed, he watched mechanical fingers move on his robotic prosthesis.

"It should work that way, too." Martin added and he looked like, that he would need rest from that what happened yesterday.

Chris finally took the courage to sit down. His wife sat down beside him and touched his augmented hand.

"Your hand is cold. Can you feel the touch of my hand?" Aviva said and she looked into Chris' eyes.

"No, I don't feel the touch of your hand."

Martin scanned his private bed, looked at his younger brother and Aviva, and after a short cough he said; "I think it would be better if I left you alone now. My girls are definitely looking for me and I don't want them to worry about me- their dad."

Martin walked through the self-closing door, and Chris saw him across the partially glass wall, putting his hand on his face, apparently holding back heavy emotions as the doctors walked nearby him.

He saw his older brother sigh. He heard the voice from the switched-on television on the opposite side of the room, not even knowing that the television was here, but he wasn't looking at the monitor.

_"Bussinesman, inventor and politician Zach Varmitech plans to enter into a business agreement with the Chinese company Tai Yong Medical. Augmentation production is expected to increase here in Falcon City. Other local politicians are against it because of the Aug Incident that happened last year and resulted in the death of thousands of people around the world and caused_ _damage in tens of bilions of dollars_ _in cities like Dubai in the United Arab Emirates."_

Chris sighed, still holding his wife with his robotic hand, looking her in the eye again and asking her; "You are scared of me?"

Aviva was stopped, when he said this.

"Why should I be scared of you CK? You're my husband, the father of my children, and I love you."

Chris threw a glance at his robotic arm. He saw his black-green robotic hand touch the soft hand of his wife, his love. He was disappointed that he couldn't feel the touch of her soft hand again as before.

"You know what happened last year. They just reminded it on the radio. What if someone hacks me and I will be dangerous against to my will? What if I get attacked by some extremists who will be racist because I'm a robot in part? What if the police sit on me? What if they send me to the ghetto? What about you and our children?"

At the same time, he thought about Zach's new cooperation with Tai Yong Medical. Zach was originally from China, so this was quite understandable, but Chris and his family and friends were among the few chosen to know that Zach was an autocrat, a would-be dictator, because of their common conflicts, even corrupt, Big Brother of this city.

He remembered his attacker. So far he kept it to himself, though he was looking forward to saying it wasn't an accident but an attempted murder. And then he didn't have to search everyone to know that the robot was Zach's.

Anyway now he had to cope with having a harder life. After the Aug Incident occurred last year, racism and extremism increased. The fact that he had a wife and three children made the whole situation worse.

She clung to his chest. She stroked him and tried to reassure him, even though the truth was that, in the face of rising extremism, Chris pointed out her fears about this.

"Do not worry. You are Kratt, you won't just let them send you somewhere."

Chris smiled and he kissed her on her forehead.

"I'd like to leave here already. I want to see the children again."


	3. Chapter 3

"What happened to you Dad?" He heard the voice of my eight-year-old daughter while picking her up from school today.

Chris led her down the corridor of the school, carrying her school bag in his new left hand, his robotic prosthesis. It didn't take Carmen five seconds to discover that he was literally a cyborg.

"I got an accident last night and that's why I was in the hospital where they gave me this new hand, Carmen."

As they walked, Chris noticed his little daughter looking at his augmentation. The other parents, at least a part of those who weren't augmented as him, came down with an almost hostile look. And that has been known for a long time. After all, both his sons attend this elementary school. Only George goes to speech therapy.

His daughter looked at him again and this time she drew why yesterday those things were as they were.

"Is that why I was with Jimmy and Koki yesterday with Ryan and George?"

Chris smiled.

"Yes, that's why they were watching you yesterday. Uncle Martin then made sure you got to school."

With his right hand he opened the door from the entrance to the school. He released his daughter first and then closed the door again.

He looked around the school. The city came to him after what happened last year darker than before.

Large screens glowed on several buildings. Either the ads or news of the Picus Group were running there, perhaps recently reporting everywhere. It was their presenter who said something about human rights and the UN, but after what happened two days ago, he was thinking elsewhere. It was his daughter who rescued him from his thoughts.

"Dad?"

Smiling, Chris looked at his little daughter and replied.

"Yes."

"I have a taste for ice cream. Will you please buy me?"

They stopped for a moment on the street and he tried to think of how to answer his daughter as quickly as possible.

"You know, I actually have a taste for ice cream too. Just don't tell your little brother that he won't be sorry."

So he took his daughter to his favorite cafe. The same one where he met her mother for the first time at eighteen, his love of the life, the same one we had a whole bunch on college at the weekends.

He just opened the door there and went with his daughter inside without noticing let alone read the distinctive sign at the door.

When Carmen chose what flavor she chose and he pulled out his wallet for direct cash payment, Chris was immediately driven out to him by a racist employee of the cafeteria which was to serve them. He hadn't even noticed that the other people in the cafe looked at him silently for his robotic hand. Although he had a long sleeve, the palm of his hand made it easy to tell that he was an Aug.

"Sir?"

The temporary worker asked him, but shortly after that his daughter decided what flavor of ice cream she would like.

"I'll have caramel!"

Chris pulled out my wallet and continued his order and was about to pay while the part-time worker tried to choke him.

"I would ask two cones. One scoop of caramel ice cream into one-"

"Sir."

"And a second scoop of biscuit ice crea-"

"Sir!"

Carmen gave Chris a little startled look after that guy shouted me like that while she stood by the glass looking at the flavors of ice cream.

"Sir, listen to me, damn it!"

At that moment he fell silent and looked at the part-time worker who worked as a salesman.

"Didn't you see the sign at the entrance?" He continued, but Chris was silent "Can't you see the sign up here?" He said and he pointed at the sign at the electronic menu "_Augs are not serviced__._"

"Is this some bad joke?" Chris said "I just want to buy ice cream for me and my daughter- she is 8 years old, she isn't augmented."

"Sir. We serve only Naturals. Get out of here or I'll have to call the police."

Chris could feel his little daughter pulling his sleeve as the tension entered

"Daddy?" she said in a slightly frightened voice and looked into his eyes.

"Like I said, get out of here or I'll call the police."

I had a lot to do to stop the anger because I wanted to beat the guy up. So I can't buy to my children ice cream anymore. Fuck, fuck, fuck. If it hadn't happened to me, I would not have experienced racism for the first time because of such bullshit, Chris thought.

Chris looked into his daughter's face and said; "Carmen, we have to go. I can't buy you the ice cream here."

"Dad, you take me here with my mom and bros often. What is going on?"

He was expecting another threatening response from the temporary worker, but when Chris looked at him again, he was really about to call the police.

"Carmen, we must go. I'll buy you ice cream in the supermarket." This time he grabbed his little daughter's hand again and tried to take her out of the café as soon as he could call the police.

As soon as they left the door, a redheaded woman ran into Chris and headed for the café, and for a moment he lost his daughter out of sight.

"Dad, why did this guy want to call you cops because you wanted to buy me ice cream? Is it because of your robotic hand?"

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to tell his daughter approximately to understand that.

"You'll understand most of this when you're older. Now you're too small for this."

"But Daddy-"

"We'll go home. After that, I lost a taste. At least you show off your mum with your great grades."

Then Chris remembered how the woman hit him. Then he realized he had something in his pocket.

It was a piece of paper with an address here in the city and he managed to read in a few seconds the sign in a language unknown to him.

**_Samizdat_**


	4. Chapter 4

Exceptionally, Chris decided to walk around the city this evening. He had an excuse with his family that he had something to do there. He hadn't told his wife yesterday about what he had experienced with his daughter. And his two sons, Ryan and George, had no idea. Only his daughter Carmen had to be silent.

Futuristic Falcon City at first glance looked normal, here it seemed that the racism against the Augs did not look so much, because street fighting did not take place and yet there did not happen that augmented people like him were sent to ghettos.

The city was nicely lit and he was walking down the street. Before he left, he looked at Tortua on his notebook for maps to see where he was going.

After twenty minutes of walking he got to the finish. It was an abandoned factory producing weapons from the 1950s.

When Chris entered the abandoned factory, it was empty.

Remains of the original production and material equipment remained scattered and several walls were sprayed.

He was annoyed that he hadn't brought a flashlight with him because he had to fumble in the dark.

Chris eventually noticed that under one steel machine there was something that looked similar to one entrance to hidden rooms in European Jewish family houses during World War II.

With his robotic hand, he opened the wooden hatch, but, due to the darkness, he was careful not to fall right into the underground passage that was there.

There was a steel ladder on which he decided to climb down. Chris estimated the height of the ladder to be about four or five meters, so it would be very disadvantageous for him to fall off the ladder and kill himself.

When he started climbing the ladder, the wooden hatch above him was brought back to his place so that there was no indication that someone had come here.

When he stood on the ground again, he noticed that the back of the corridor where he was heading was partially lit, and that improved his orientation in the dark.

He pulled the paper out of his pocket that the unknown woman had put into his pocket yesterday when he and his daughter left café in an uncomfortable situation.

He went to the light and read the inscription again without understanding the foreign language and knowing the meaning of the word.

**_Samizdat_**

Finally he got to the locked iron door. He noticed a red shining keypad that required a four-digit password to open the door. He didn't even try.

He was startled to notice that he was being filmed by a camera that was mounted above the door.

With the described paper in his right hand, his left robotic hand slammed heavily on the door for someone to notice if there was someone inside. He heard four voices. Two female, two male. Apparently they spoke a Slavic language that Chris didn't understand.

After a moment the door opened and Chris swallowed when he saw an augmented man (with a robotic right arm and left leg) of light-skinned, with an assault weapon in his hands, dressed like a bodyguard.

He spoke to him in English, but the Slavic accent was still heard.

"What do you want here? Get out of here and forget that you've ever found this place."

"I have this." Chris said and handed rmed Aug the described paper he received yesterday "This paper with your address was put in my pocket by some redheaded woman yesterday when I and my daughter left disappointed from the café after meeting racism because of my augmentation when I wanted to buy ice cream for her and myself."

The gunman inspected Chris, returned the paper and said; "All right. You can come in, but on condition that you don't tell anyone about this place."

Chris stepped inside and began to examine the room equipment. The gunman closed the door behind him.

There was a big TV, a radio, two computers, lighting in the middle of brick walls, and a Czech flag.

"You're not local, are you?" Chris asked when he saw a flag of the European country.

"Yes, we are not. We are immigrants from the Czech Republic. You can't live there since Aug Incident, at least there's no risk of sending you to a ghetto like Golem."

Chris turned around when he heard a woman's voice speaking English with a Czech accent.

"So my mission was successful, you got the piece of paper which I gave you yesterday."

She was the redhead of yesterday. She wasn't Augmented, but that gave her an advantage in performing tasks in her group.

Chris began to look around when everyone started to look at him. He was the only American in the room.

"If you're actually immigrants, why did you look for me out of all people in Falcon City? And what is your Samizdat doing?"

"We haven't made contact with you just for nothing."

Chris looked back when he heard an English-speaking male voice, with a Czech accent again.

"You and your friends have experienced a lot and therefore you have admiration with us."

When he turned he saw an augmented man with light brown hair, dressed in a black T-shirt, dark blue trousers and brown boots.

"A lot?"

The man with both robotic hands approached Chris, placed his hand on his shoulder and continued; "Your parents may not have experienced Communism, but you yes in the quotes."

"You talk about Zach Varmitech?" Chris asked.

"Yes, and my conspiration theory about him."

"Conspiration theory? What the heck?" Chris was confused

He led Chris to an illuminated board with notes to let his unsuspecting father acquaint himself with the conspiracy theory.

"Everything that happens in the city - Illuminati's fingers are in it and Zach Varmitech is their member."

This was a highlight for Chris, not even knowing to believe this, now that after being nearly augmented for nearly three days, and as the father of three children, he met racism in front of his little daughter's eyes for his augmentation.

"I'm sorry, it's just been a lot for me lately since I was augmented. I just have other worries now, I have a wife with three children and I have to take care of them. Thank you for your time." Chris said before he left


	5. Chapter 5

_"Jensen, can you just explain to me why you coughed up to work here in Interpol and went to Falcon City?!"_ A dark brown-haired, bearded augmented man dressed in a black coat, trousers and boots heard the angry voice of his new boss Jim Miller.

The man strolled through the night city and watched how it worked in Falcon City.

"I didn't testify Miller, I just gotta do one personal thing here." He said in a deep and sarcastic voice.

_"Well, well, I hate to make you an exception, but then you'll work with us all again. Working here at Interpol is about cooperation and not solitude."_

"I heard." Jensen said and the call ended.

The agent headed for this city for absolutely different reason: the personal thing was about the Illuminati, they were pulling the threads of what was happening in the world, whether they were political reversals or terrorist attacks.

Falcon City had a rather turbulent history in terms of politics, despite being made famous by two brothers, nature protectors Martin and Chris Kratt. It concerned a local businessman, inventor and politician Zach Varmitech, who was of Chinese origin.

After what happened during the Aug Incident, it wasn't quite surprising that Jensen considered this autocratic puppet to be an Illuminate. Zach had previously worked with the now deceased Zhao Yun Ru, who was confirmed to be a member of the Illuminati. Yes, all of this was part of the intricate hidden political game that created the conflict between the US and China who created the Illuminati.

He was just walking around Zach's skyscraper. Zach had a robotic guard that was ahead of his time at construction.

This street was quite dark, and as there were policemen around, Adam knew that if he had to get in and shake information from an aging autocrat, he would have to come up with a plan to get in and sneak through cameras, lasers and Zachbots.

The problem was that Adam did not know about the conflicts of our nature protectors with this suspect, but in any case, he had not yet expected how things would turn out.

He decided to take a closer look around, arriving here tonight. Glowing skyscrapers took care of the rest of the atmosphere.

Then something happened that confused Adam. One, at least thirty-year-old brown-haired, augmented man was walking down the street as if trying to avoid the skyscraper.

As soon as the robots saw him, Jensen noticed how they attacked him in a place where there was practically no one. The agent reacted immediately to protect the civilian.

"Help!" Man cried when the robot forcibly grabbed his non-robotic right hand and crushed it. Apparently he wanted to kill on the spot.

"Wait!" Was Jensen's reply.

When he came running, he tore the man away from the robot work and destroyed the machine with the right gun shots in front of his eyes: but that caught the attention of the police.

"This is the second time someone has tried to kill me this week! Can nobody take into account that I have a wife and children?" A man complained shortly after his rescue.

"I think it's better to get out of here before the police arrive. I'm here for another thing, but I'm willing to help."

"Seriously? You hardly know me-"

"If I hadn't helped, the local police wouldn't have saved you either."

In the distance you could hear the approaching hooting of police cars.

"Come with me to a safer alley and explain to me who's after you." Jensen said and with that uknown man he went nearby to the park, where it was safe.

"My name's Chris Kratt." The man introduced and he shaked hands with Jensen with his augmented left hand "I was just coming back to my family after visiting a few weirdoes when the robotic hogs of that bastard attacked me again."

"Adam Jensen. A tourist in this city."

Chris looked around again, wondering if he would go back to Tortuga to see his family or tell this man what had happened to him this week.

"Actually, it concerns my augmentation. Two days ago I was attacked by a robot that was a human in contrast to what I thought now and forcibly tore my hand away. My older brother saved me, they put me in the hospital, and I and my little daughter got me out of the cafe because I am an Aug."

"That doesn't sound nice." Jensen added

"It is not. If the incident hadn't happened two years ago, I'd have it all easier. I'm talking about my wife and children."

Jensen looked around, surprised that this "civilian" didn't panic as he fired from a pistol.

"Do you know anything about Zach Varmitech? Looks like you've known him for a long time. And I'd like to help you get rid of family concerns about this autocrat."

Chris was silent for a moment before explaining what he would say when he realized what it meant to him and his older brother and their family.

"I work as a biologist.." Chris said and he took this Creature Pod from his pocket and showed it to Jensen.

"This is the contact for me. I like to solve this with you, I will find time this week and I will explain everything to you." Chris said as Jensen examined his number and he continued "You seem to have experience with bad guys like him and that's why I trust you."

"Well, sometime this week." Jensen added and he gave Chris his Creature Pod back.

"I have to go to my family if you don't mind Adam." Chris said and he turned his way back to Tortuga.

"No, I don't mind Chris."

"So nice evening and thank you very much for saving me." Chris said, while walking away.

"I have a clue.." Jensen said for himself when Chris was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

There was only one lamp in the double bedroom. Aviva was lying on a bed covered with a duvet in a nightgown and reading a book while waiting for her husband.

The iron bedroom door opened and Aviva put the bedside down on the duvet on her side of the bed and looked at the incoming.

"I'm here." Chris said with a smile, while looking at her.

"Where have you been all night? George kept asking me when you were back before I put him to sleep."

Chris took off his clothes and lay to bed in his underwear to his wife and he covered himself with duvet.

"It's quite complicated, but I don't want to bother you."

"Why should you bother me? You're my husband, and we've had experienced a lot together in the last 19 years."

Chris kissed her on the forehead, it just seemed strange to him that his left hand was a piece of metal now.

"I just had to do something in city. Nothing serious, at least I walked."

Aviva was stopped when Chris said this sentence.

"It seems to me that you are acting a bit weird."

"Weird?" Chris didn't understand

"Yes." she said and she pressed against his chest.

"Why should I behave weird?"

"Since you are augmented, it seems to me that you spend more time in the streets of the city than with me and the children, and these are only almost 3 days."

Chris cuddled with her, but then he get an idea how to say Aviva he still loves her.

"I love you and the kids. And I'll never stop loving you."

While cuddling, her fingers touched the cold iron fingers of her husband's robotic hand. His chest warmed her, but his robotic left hand was also cold. She recognized it because she clung to him from the left side and felt cold as she leaned against his robotic hand.

"You haven't been cold like this for long." Was her reaction to his cold robotic left hand, when she cuddled with him.

"I know, I know. Remember when we were in college and I was in love with you?"

She looked into his eyes, while he stroked her with his cold left robotic hand.

"I remember how you flirted with me."

"And Martin flew after you, too."

"Why?"

"At that time he broke up with his girlfriend when I went to college. When he found out who I was actually friends with, it didn't take long to create a sibling rivalry between us."

He kissed her forehead again.

"Two days ago.." Chris started, while cuddling with her and he continued "The night I lost my hand.."

She stroked her husband's cheek and said it; "Are you afraid to say that?"

"No, I'm not afraid, I was just trying to figure out how to say it."

"So go ahead."

He looked into her face again. He was a little older, but when he was cuddling like a young man, Chris was still mentally 20 years old.

"The night I lost my hand, we planned to make love again after a long time. And because of my accident, we didn't even get it."

It was to Chris' eyes that he wanted to make up for that romantic evening that would end after a long time of having sex together in bed. But first the romantic part had to happen.

Chris climbed out of the warm bed, released the love music on the radio they had in the bedroom, walked up to her, and held out his robotic left hand.

"May I have this dance, please?" He politely asked her, while looking into her eyes with the same expression of desire for love in the face as he had 17 years ago during one Creature Adventure with Seasquatch.

"Chris, I would like but children are here."

"Children are sleeping. Aviva, come on, try to exchange the role of caring mom for the one night for the role of the best lover in the world for one night."

"CK.."

"Dare yourself." He said and after that sentence she was silent.

Though it was fasting in sleeping clothes and Chris wore only his boxers, they managed to start dancing again together after a long time.

"I love you, CK.." She whispered in his ear during a slow romantic dance.

"Me too.." was his reply "Me too.."

He kissed the bottom of her neck at her left shoulder. She knew what was coming, so she began to breathe slowly but surely.

They began to kiss passionately in love while the music played in love. Shortly thereafter, there were noises from the bedroom of both spouses suggesting and confirming both parents' passionate night in full swing.

George woke up suddenly. His glasses were on his bedside table. He shared a twin-bed bed with his older brother, 12-year-old Ryan, while his older brother slept on the other upper bed.

Their eight-year-old sister slept in the same room as they, even the bed on the right side.

"Ryan, Ryan!" George woke his six years older brother with a slightly louder whisper.

It took Ryan a moment to wake up, sleepy wiping his sleeve over his eyes, blinking, and glancing carefully into the lower bed where his six-year-old brother slept.

"George, is something wrong?" he asked his younger brother

George, dressed in white-orange pajamas, sat down on the bed, while his older brother hadn't even thought he should go all the way down from the bed.

"Mom and Dad." George said

"Dad's fine, he just became a cyborg."

"Ryan!"

"All right, all right, George, I just said what Dad is now."

George sat on the bed and talked to his older brother. Their sister Carmen was asleep.

"It seems to me that Mom is worried about Dad, Ryan." George said.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad have had experienced a lot a long time before you or me or our middle sister was born." Ryan said

George froze a little when he realized that from his parents' bedroom, which was not far from their room, he could hear music mixed with moans. Ryan responded to this before he did, and George was still little to learn about birds and bees.

"If you mean this, don't worry. That's normal. This is what they do from time to time at night when they think their children - we - are asleep."

George swallowed. Ryan settled back on his bed. With words; "Bro, come back to sleep. Tomorrow is school and parents will wake us up early in the morning."

George lay back on his bed, covered himself with the duvet and fell asleep shortly afterwards.


	7. Chapter 7

Jensen looked back. The skyscraper was well guarded and the agent tried to figure out how to get inside.

But trying it wouldn't be a bad idea, would it?

For a moment, he wondered if he should try, but then he remembered that he had agreed with Chris that he would explain everything about Zach to him sometime this week.

"Chris? I think it's best for you and me to explain it straight to me."

At the moment Agent Jensen sent him a voice message, Chris was resolving his work after last night full of love and passion with his wife.

The crew was now preparing to travel outside the United States. It was always on nerves because they had to return in time to pick up the children.

"Isn't it relatively quiet here when the children are at school?" Martin said while putting on his Creature Power Suit, and the rest of the crew looked at him.

"Didn't you say the same sentence when the children were in kindergarten?" His wife looked at Martin when he said that.

"My older brother likes to remind of this occasionally." Chris added with smile.

"Chris.." Martin mumbled a little offended in response to his younger brother.

"Just don't worry about it guys." Aviva said, as she walked past her brothers and frowned Martin on the shoulder on purpose. Chris pretended to hold back laughter.

"Very funny Chris, very funny." Martin said ironically when he looked at his younger brother.

Apparently Aviva was about to say something about the CPS and Chris' augmented left hand when Chris' Creature Pod accepted incoming call at that point. Chris startled, when he heard Jensen's voice.

"Chris. Are you there?"

Chris immediately pulled out his Creature Pod, and when he looked at the confused faces of his family members, he realized he was in an awkward situation.

"CK, who is it?" Aviva asked, when she looked at her husband.

"I just have to solve something, please excuse me for a second." Was Chris' excuse.

As Chris walked around Tortuga aside to talk to Jensen at that moment, he came to his older brother, wife and sister-in-law.

"Where did Chris go?" Jimmy asked

Chris finally leaned on the nearest tree, looked into his Creature Pod, and continued talking to Jensen.

"Adam, why are you calling me now? I am at work and I have 5 hours to do it before me or my wife will have to pick up the youngest child from school."

"It's a very important Kratt. I need you to tell me everything you know about Zach now. Not through a call, but face to face."

Chris swallowed.

"Today and personally. Best now." Chris swallowed for the second time.

"I don't know if it would work now. When the children are at school, I work as a scientist and a nature protector. It is mostly outside the US."

"So tell your family it's important!"

Chris raised an eyebrow, when he heard how Jensen changed the tone of his voice.

"They'll ask me why."

"So tell them this is your and personal thing and that you don't want anyone else to get involved."

Chris after this sentence swallowed again and he looked around.

"And what about my wife?"

"Tell her you're doing it for her own good. Sometimes you'll find time to explain it to her in the future."

"And what now?"

"Don't end the call. When you explain why you have to go to the city, I'll tell you where I want to meet you."

"Okay." Chris said and and turned on Creature Pod with a call in progress he putted back into his pocket.

He went back to his relatives, even more nervous than before.

"Have you done it?" Aviva asked and Chris felt how from all the nervosity he begans to sweat.

"I-I must go to city." he said and at that moment Chris heard how tool fell from Koki's hand.

"City? Bro, we are planning to protect endangered tigers in India for today." Martin said.

He couldn't feel it, but Chris recognized when his wife touched his robotic left hand.

He looked into her confused face and said; "I have to go there as soon as possible. You can do it without me."

"But CK-"

"It's important, I promise I'll explain it to you sometime." Chris said and he kissed her on her cheek.

"I really must go." He added and before eyes of his family and friends he turned and walked back to the Falcon City.

After a quarter of an hour's walk, when Chris was in the village's rural area, he stopped by the field and continued talking to Jensen through his Creature Pod.

"So I did what you asked me to do, my family is going crazy now... what now?"

"By the park. I'll be waiting for you there."

The call ended and Chris put his Creature Pod in his pocket. Chris was born in Falcon City, grew up here and knew the city like his shoes. He knew very well where to go.

When Chris got into town after more than an hour of walking, he swallowed as he walked through one of the alleys.

There were armed police officers and forensic investigators. Chris swallowed when he managed to see what was at the crime scene. It was that redhead from Samizdat. And she was dead. She died dressed in her favorite dark blue. Her corpse's eyes were open while warm blood was still flowing from her nose and mouth. Her head lay in a pool of warm blood, her skull pierced.

He tried not to look at it and went on.

He stopped at the park. He was also considering sitting on a bench, but changed his mind due the racist scene in the cafe.

He watched the other people in the park while standing. Then he heard footsteps and turned to hear Jensen's voice.

"You're here as I expected."

Chris turned to look at Jensen's face.

"Except my family wasn't happy about it."

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Zach. I'll take you to a safe place."

Chris didn't even know he was in contact with an Interpol agent. He agreed to tell Jensen in return that he would not be able to deal with this villain and his family would be safer.

Jensen eventually led Chris to one of his contacts in the city. It was a local arms dealer who told Jensen this conspiracy about the secret government of the city. Jensen believed that if Chris told him everything he knew about Zach, it would get him closer to the Illuminati.

Chris swallowed, of course, when he found himself in a dark apartment with three other gunmen.

He didn't sound a beep, he watched Jensen's conversation with the merchant in silence and eventually dropped them into the empty room of the apartment, which could be considered a bedroom. Chris was so nervous he was still standing.

"Well. Now tell me what you know about Zach." Jensen started conversation

Chris swallowed again. It took him a while before he started talking.

"He's trying to kill me and my older brother. Since I graduated from college and became a nature protector, he's been after us. He's after my wife's inventions."

"Your wife is an inventor?"

"Yes, she invented a lot of inventions, mainly Creature Power Suits and the Time Trampoline."

"His inventions, like those of my wife, were ahead of their time. Although there is now technique stronger than the Creature Power Suits now, it is still after my family and the inventions. It is.." Chris took a deep breath "It is a long story."

"It is understandable. Have you ever thought that the role of the hunted animal that you have been living for so long should have a deeper meaning?"

"Deeper meaning?" Chris asked and Jensen nodded.

"Yes, deeper meaning." Jensen confirmed

Chris saw the gun on Jensen's belt and remembered how Jensen had destroyed the Zach robot in his rescue.

"You're probably not a tourist, are you?" Chris then asked

"I am an Interpol agent who deals with the Illuminati conspiracy worldwide."

"And how dangerous is this for me and my family?"

"Even though you've been in that wet for a long time, I can make sure you get Interpol protection. Something like security and witness protection in one."

"When you said if I ever thought that all of this had a deeper meaning, no. Zach was spying on us, and maybe he was still spying on my family and friends.

"Recently, I came across a group of some conspiracy theoreticians who told me that Zach was, according to their theory, a member of the Illuminati."

"All right, you can go." Jensen said and Chris aimed at the entrance. Then he stopped.

"As far as I'm concerned, can I help you? That man hurt my friends and family a lot, and this could be a chance to end all this." Chris asked

"Maybe, maybe-" Jensen wondered "Yes."

"Thank you." Chris said, when he left.


	8. Chapter 8

When Chris was walking around Falcon City again, he wondered what he had done. He didn't know if the crew had gone on a journey without him, but he didn't care.

As he walked, he wondered what he'd done and what the consequences would be for his family. He was thinking about coming back when..

"Wait.." He murmured and he went back to the apartments where Jensen had led him.

He took it by running. He almost tripped over the stairs and almost fell down. The other augmented people who lived in the apartment looked at him a bit like a fool.

Finally he reached the open door in front of which was an armed male aug dressed in black.

"Is Jensen still here?!"

Everyone in that apartment was looking at Chris in confusion.

"Of course he's still here. Our boss is his informant." Said one of the merchant bodyguards who was in charge of guarding at the door.

Chris stepped inside and looked back.

"Chris, what are you doing here?" He heard Jensen's voice. He also heard his footsteps, and in less than two seconds he looked into the agent's face.

"If you go there now, I want to take part in the mission."

"And can you shoot from a gun? I have agreed to cooperate with you, but first you have to prepare if you want to fight by my side."

Both Chris and Jensen turned when they heard the female merchant's voice.

"If you have a problem with it, let him practice here."

"Here?" Jensen turned back at the merchant.

"Because of you, I'm willing to make an exception to get a 9mm gun for free. So please use that. There is a shooting range in the cellar."

Chris looked at Jensen and Jensen nodded.

"Well.." Jensen said, when he turned, looking at the merchant "I accept this offer, I don't know if I should be grateful to you or him."

Two of the merchant's bodyguards led the men down. There was a lot of doors in the basement, each leading to a room that served as a basement for the residents.

The second bodyguard took out the keys and unlocked the door to the "cellar". He let them in and told Jensen before he closed the door and left; "When you're done with the training, lock up here behind you, go back up and give me the keys.

Chris uncertainly took the 9mm pistol, which Jensen handed to his augmented left hand. It was the one Chris got from the merchant for free.

"Dude.." he fell out of a somewhat shocked thirty-seven-year-old man as he looked at the shiny silver gun that was shining with his augmented hand.

"Try aiming at the target. The weapon is loaded." Jensen tried to rush Chris.

"I-I didn't kill anyone in my life."

"And what if I say you shoot at robots. Do you have any experience with them?"

"Well, I must have ruined a few Zachbots with my friends."

"So at least you have some experience."

Jensen decided to show Chris how to handle the gun. Chris mimicked the agent's movements.

Eventually Chris started shooting at targets. He also imitated the agent's movements to see how to reload the weapon. Then he tried it himself several times, and was surprised at how well his robotic hand was good at aiming.

"Can I keep the gun?"

"The gun is yours." Jensen nodded.

Chris put the gun in his pocket and the first thing he thought was where the gun would be hidden from the children so that some of them wouldn't hurt.

After this meeting, Chris was looking forward to returning to his family. He didn't know when the mission would take place, but he was a little excited.

On the way back, he considered calling his wife to come back. By that time it was raining and because he did not have an umbrella, it was wet and so naturally shivered in cold.

Chris was shivering in the rain for a while, trying to keep going when the black limousine arrived.

"Get in greener."

Chris recognized the man's voice immediately, wondering that there was no danger this time.

"Do not stand here and get in otherwise you will catch pneumonia like this."

Chris uncertainly got into the car of one of his former enemies. At least he had a little relief that he had the gun loaded, because if anything happened he could defend himself. He closed the door behind him and didn't fasten his belts on purpose. In a few seconds the car drove again.

To Chris' surprise, Zach looked slightly different over the last few years. He was also augmented and even more than Chris. His right eye was replaced with a robotic eye, the same with a robotic hand, and Chris could even type that Zach had something like a pacemaker. In addition, he still looked young.

"Thanks to colleagues from Tai Yong Medical, I can do a lot now. You probably don't care how I came to those augmentations when you haven't seen me in the last year."

"I guess in an accident, but you still look more like a natural than me."

Zach changed the subject soon.

"I would like to invite you to a company party to celebrate the end of our disputes."

Yes, Chris might have asked if it was his family and friends, but this was a chance Jensen could take. He knew it was just a trap, but this was the right chance to get into his skyscraper alongside the agent without anyone dying.

"Would there be an invitation for two?" Chris asked and Zach almost spat his Tokaj.

"Why are you asking?" Zach looked at Chris and said.

"I would like to invite one of my friends who is a big fan of your business."

Zach almost spit out the Tokaj for the second time.

"And I guess it doesn't matter if my friend is an Aug or a Natural." Chris added

"Well, I wouldn't expect that from you. But just for you and your friend, no one else."

"And when and where will it take place?"

"It will take place inside my skyscraper, which you know so partially."

Zach then gived Chris two pocket secretaries.

"These are invitations and tickets for my company event. Everything is there. And the second one is for your unknown friend to me." And Zach continued "Credit chips are paid at the event, so keep your wallet with paper money and coins at home."

Chris looked out the window. Cold water dripped down the glass, while the glass also reflected images of lamp lights (overcast) and what was happening in the city.

"Can I get off please?" Chris asked and car stopped.

"So at the corporate event.." Zach murmured for himself, when Chris get off his limousine.

The limousine door from the side Chris had stepped out after this Zach sentence closed and the limousine left.

Chris had a smile on his face, still standing in the rain.

Unfortunately, the smile suddenly turned into a disappointed face when he realized he would have to lie to his family, including his wife and children.

"Shit!"

For a while he used his left robotic hand to touch his face during the so-called facepalm. He touched his beard, which he had grown up as a father. They were as wet as his augmented left hand.

"I'll have to come up with a lie, though I don't want to lie to them at all." he told himself


	9. Chapter 9

"What is it?" Chris came to his twelve-year-old son, who was about to play with something that looked like glasses in his room.

"Virtual reality. You act like you haven't heard of her in your life."

"For me at the time, you were born it was new. Can I play with you?"

Ryan in his reply only sighed not-enthusiastically.

"You like playing inaccessible games, I see."

"Dad, those games of my age are boring, and moreover, why should it matter when the world begins to be against people like you?"

Chris swallowed. Chris looked at his son and he continued; "You're right."

Chris grabbed the other glasses and Ryan made sure the game installed in the console started.

"What are we playing?" Chris asked his son.

"_Dawn of the Rebellion_."

"What is it about?"

"It's an open world first person shooter about a dictator here in Falcon City and you're a detective trying to kill him out of revenge. You have to work with Augs and take full advantage of the alliance in this secret war."

This is almost reality, Chris thought. It almost looks like Samizdat created this shooter, was another Chris' thought.

"Where did you buy the game? Is it possible to buy normally at the store, or was it given to you by a suspect when you were after school with your friends?"

"It can normally be bought at the store. I got it from a ninth grade friend for my birthday."

Ryan put on his glasses and the game started. After almost post-apocalyptic intros and selecting coop mode, the game began.

Chris found himself in a realistic factory. In his point of view he was dressed in dark clothes, his left hand being augmented while his right hand was wearing work gloves. He held a shotgun in his hand.

He walked past the switched-off machines in an abandoned factory. He grinned as he stumbled upon the bloody corpse of an augmented worker.

_"Dad, where are you? I'm in the town square and I'm waiting for you here."_ Chris heard Ryan's voice in the voice chat.

"When it got loaded, it put me in the factory."

Chris through voice chat (which was almost due to VR glasses normal talk) heard how his son swallowed.

_"I haven't gotten here yet. I don't understand how the game could have brought you here Dad."_

Chris sighed. After wandering the abandoned factory, Chris noticed a locked door. He broke them violently, and when he entered there he didn't look at the free fall and so he went down. His son heard the virtual thud.

_"Dad are you okay?__ I heard that fall."_

A moment after hitting the ground, Chris staggered across the iron floor and held his bleeding wound on his head in his video game with his right hand. His eyes were illuminated by the red color and the increased sound of his character's heartbeat.

After a while, Chris stopped holding his virtual weapon in both hands. He noticed that he found himself in an abandoned room with one large screen that suddenly turned itself on.

A formally dressed brown-haired man with a beard like Chris had appeared on the screen. He looked a few years younger than him and was also augmented. He had robotic hands, but, like Zach, the color of human skin. He spoke English but had a German accent.

_"Congratulations to all of you who have found this message in this game, you just found out that the real creators of this game are augmented talented programmers from Augs Rights Coalition across Europe!"_

As soon as the speech began, Chris heard through his son's voice chat, who was still wandering around the city in the game, and who was confused when he heard the sounds of what his father was doing through the voice chat.

_"Dad, what's this guy?"_

"Try to be quiet and hopefully we'll find out."

The man on the screen continued_: "This message can only be found in this game by augmented players and now, I will finally introduce you. I'm Talos Rucker, leader of Augs Rights Coalition. I want to tell you - oppose racism, we are people too-"_

Before the man said it, the game fell. Chris and Ryan both took off their virtual reality glasses.

"Too bad the game fell. We could learn everything he wanted to say." Ryan added.

"I guess it's better." Chris said and he looked at his son.

Chris got up and was about to leave. He wanted to formally prepare for what awaited him tonight; Except for Jensen, he finds out about Zach's connection with the Illuminati.

"Dad, don't you want to play anymore?" Ryan said, while he looked at his father, who was leaving at the moment.

"I have something to do tonight." Chris turned and then be left his kids' room.

He walked again on the bridge of Tortuga. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers and boots. He paused for a moment, wondering whether to shave his beard tonight.

Before he could return from his thoughts to reality, he and his wife burst into each other.

"Aviva, I'm sorry." he said and he noticed Aviva is holding something in her hand "What are you carrying?" he then asked.

"Neuropozyne." she said and she gave him that small vial in his right hand "When I stopped by the hospital today for a report, the doctor prescribed me to take this medicine here. It is supposed to help your body get used to your augmentation."

Chris began to study the dark purple vial and then he putted it into his pocket.

"That's weird. Everything seemed to be okay with my robotic left hand."

"So be sure." Aviva said and she hugged him.

"Where is Carmen with George and their cousins?" Chris asked while hugging his wife.

"They decided to sleep at their friends from school. There is just Ryan, otherwise this is an adult night for us. That dress suits you.."

"I-I have something to do in city tonight." Chris then realized he made a mistake and he had a problem what he should said "It concerns work, but I promise to return home soon. I promise."

"Just let nothing happen to you again." she said and she kissed him on his cheek. Chris smiled.

"Go, then. I will be waiting for you."

Chris went to the bedroom to put on his green tie and black coat. The weapon he had been given free of charge by the merchant when he and Jensen had been in his marriage bedroom hidden in his safe with his personal valuables. He took advantage of it when he was out of sight of his wife for a few minutes and put the weapon in his pocket.

When he put on his tie, Aviva still came to him and clung to him. When Chris put on his coat and took the two pocket secretaries he received from Zach and his credit chip.

"I have to go." Chris said and he turned to his wife. Before he left he kissed her on her face.

When he was almost out, he noticed the rest of the crew, including his older brother.

"Chris, where are you going?"

Chris stopped, when he heard Martin's voice.

"Sure, where are you going? You've been coughing on the crew lately." Jimmy added and Koki nodded.

"I just have to do one stupid thing in city. That is all."


	10. Chapter 10

He was walking around the night city again. He stopped in the park and leaned against a tree. He grabbed his Creature Pod and immediately called Jensen.

_"Jensen, I'm waiting in the park.__ Now is an exceptional chance to get to Zach's skyscraper, and I need you to come in front of his skyscraper immediately."_

Chris didn't get the answer, so he headed there. It would be 6 pm and it should start in an hour. Chris swallowed as he noticed Zach's robots in the distance. They guarded it and checked the invited people.

He tried to figure out what to do when he showed his pocket secretary ticket. He was startled when a metal hand tapped his shoulder. He turned immediately. It was Jensen.

"I'm here. What chance are you talking about?"

"Zach invited me to a company party two days ago. I persuaded him to give me a pocket secretary for you. It should serve as a ticket. I lied well." Chris said and he gave Jensen second pocket secretary.

"So, now it's time to go." Jensen said when he looked at Chris.

After checking by the robotic guards and driving the elevator up, Chris was surprised at how well Zach's company party was well done.

There were his staff. Men and women who worked as technicians, engineers, managers or workers. It didn't matter if they were Augmented or if they were Naturals.

The hall played with all colors, and glass showcases showed the latest inventions in the world of robotics behind Zach.

Chris watched as the color that lit the party changed from dark blue to dark red while the music played. Jensen grabbed him heavily for a few seconds by his augmented left hand. Jensen's hands were both augmented.

"I'll try to get into the safety room and shut down all the dangerous robots, alarms and cameras ."

"And what me?" Chris asked when he looked into the eyes of the younger Interpol agent.

"You know it better here than I do. Try to get into his office and find some connection with the Illuminati. It is possible that Zach is both a puppet and a pod in this, but it is possible that he may also be a member of the Illuminati." Jensen said and he gave Chris into his right hand metal electronics a device that resembled a cell phone. It was a multi-tool for hacking.

Chris swallowed. Jensen then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Chris looked at the multi-tool he was holding in his right hand and then looked back at the crowd. He knew what he had to do.

He drank a glass of whiskey on the long table that was in the middle of the hall, so that he did not look suspicious. His head twisted a little and he put the glass back on where it was before.

Nobody ignored him in the noise, and Chris decided to use it. He knew Zach had an office on the top floor. The weapon was still in his pocket and he was able to use it in the case of self-defense.

He went out and decided to go up the stairs to the upper floor. He barely entered and he swallowed.

Zach's security robots, armed with machine guns, aimed at him. The camera, which was already glowing red, looked at him, and it seemed that the alarm would sound in less than a second.

Chris knew very well that it was only a matter of milliseconds before the alarm went off and the machines shot him to pieces. He swallowed again in dismay, a drop of sweat running down his forehead.

But suddenly it all turned off. He grabbed his switched on Creature Pod to listen to Jensen's other instructions.

_"The road is clear. You can do the rest alone. When you find out all this, we'll meet again in the hall."_

With his augmented left hand, Chris pulled his gun out of his pocket and took it down the hall to the door to Zach's office.

The black color of the walls gave the place a dark, cool and depressing atmosphere, and Chris swallowed again.

The door was open, which was obviously suspicious. Chris stepped in with the gun in his augmented left hand.

"Don't stand there and follow me."

It was Zach's voice which Chris heard. Zach sat in his office with the computer on. Behind the windows in the background that replaced the walls of metal and concrete was a beautiful view of the blue-glowing futuristic Falcon City.

Unable to help himself, Chris still had to aim his gun at Zach and had nothing to do to keep the trigger from all over.

"Why are you aiming at me? You see, I'm unarmed."

"You hurt my family and my friends. You took my hand, you tried to kill me twice in one week."

Zach got up from his chair.

"I'm sorry about your wife and children. When you came here with your friend, it happened the way I expected you to be up to something."

Chris tried not to aim at Zach, but as he pointed to the ground, he seemed to become a mentally unbalanced bundle of emotions and nerves.

"I want to shoot you, but I can't." He said and he tried to breath deeply.

"Can't you do it?"

"I'm capable of it, but I'm not here to kill you." Hardly saying the sentence, Chris started aiming at Zach again to startle him.

"So tell me what you're here for and I'll try to figure it out. Is it true?"

Chris sighed and he asked while aiming at the Zach; "Are you a member of the Illuminati or you just work for them?"

This time Zach looked nervous.

"They're my superiors! Over the Chinese government I have to listen to them, them and again them!"

Because of Zach's unexpected reaction, Chris stopped aiming his gun at him and listened.

"So you're really just a puppet?"

"I had to become a member of them a long time ago! They promised gold from heaven if I did what they wanted for them. They also gave instructions to the Chinese government, and here I also had to listen to instructions from the government of their country, behind which the Illuminati stood. You can see that I am a member and that I am still just a simple understrapper."

This time, thoughtful Chris hid the gun back in his pocket and continued to listen to Zach. Though he wasn't happy about it, he had to feel empathy.

"They made sure the government promised me that if I was their spy here, when the war between the two countries came, the area where the city was an independent state would be a dictator. This was also promised by the Illuminati. I knew everything I do for the government I do for the Illuminati."

Chris scratched his head and continued in listening.

"What was the cause of the tragic death of my wife's father? Why did you do this to me and my friends when you were theoretically ruling here? Why did you go after my wife's inventions?"

"The Chinese government wanted me to get those inventions because of the arms race, the Illuminati wanted me to start World War III so they could set up the New World Order, so I had to play that eco-treather with you. Nor do I have to explain that my Chinese supervisors obeyed the Illuminati when they gave me these instructions."

New World Order. New World Order. These three words now still sounded in Chris' mind.

"If you know all this, they will certainly kill me and you and your family will all be in danger."

When Chris knew all this, he almost wanted to forgive it for his greatest enemy so far.

"Even though I don't want to believe it, I'd like to forgive you all. You probably got in there forcing, didn't you?"

Zach nodded and he continued; "It is too late for forgiveness. Rather, you should just shoot me on the spot for this because they're watching me."

Chris tried to pull the gun out of his pocket, but this time he couldn't.

"I saw what they are capable of. At the beginning, the organization had solidarity and melancholy goals to help people around the world and see what they are now. It's just a matter of time before they get you. They will torture you, force you to watch as all you love suffer, calmly kill your wife with your children in front of your eyes while you hear their terrified crying, supplications and lamentation and know that you are unable to protect them before they kill you. They also kills uncomfortable members like me or people who are not members of the organization but are also uncomfortable."

This time Chris didn't know how to react, when he knew that he and everyone he love, his family, his friends are in danger.

"The Illuminati stood behind the French Revolution, the assassination of Kennedy, the First World War, many more events, and still not enough, wanting more and more until they are absolute rulers of everything and everything, while people are ignorant." Zach said and then he came to Chris. He pulled a small box out of his pocket, looked into Chris's eyes, and gave it to Chris; "Find the Freemasons and show them this and become a member of them.They will make sure your family is safe. Your other allies will be Templars that the Illuminati are trying to get rid of until now."

Chris looked at that small box and he hid it in the pocket of his formal clothimg, but at that moment an alarm suddenly sounded.

At that moment Zach began to behave strangely. At that moment Chris noticed a scar on his neck. Zach went back to his computer and started tapping all ten like a fool to his will. Chris didn't understand what was going on.

"Run before the skyscraper explodes! There's no time for this, it'll kill me, but you'll figure it out!"

A loud countdown began, and Chris was about to leave his office to find and warn Jensen, but he barely turned to see Zach sitting in a chair at his desk in his soul office, and in less than a second his head exploded into bloody skull, flesh, and brain.

Chris didn't have time to think about it, so he went back to the hall to celebrate.

"Jensen, I know it all! We have to leave the skyscraper before it explodes and save all those people!" He left a voice message to Jensen in his Creature Pod.

As soon as Chris walked into the hall, there was a hell.

Zach's staff ran in fear in an attempt to get out of the skyscraper, first because they heard the countdown, and second, as the alarm went off, Zach's robotic security began killing his own staff, and Jensen was fighting it now.

At that moment, Jensen had just stabbed a giant robotic blade out of his augmented right hand and stabbed a man dressed as a security guard. Apparently this was another Illuminati pod that had caused this and was willing to commit a suicide mission.

"Jensen!" Chris yelled, and the Interpol agent looked at him.

He had barely encountered Jensen again, so there was a powerful explosion in which part of the building collapsed. The floor ceased to be straight, and Chris grabbed the door to avoid falling on the glass of windows that sooner or later would be destroyed and he would fall from a high height on the road and not survive.

He didn't care now that he had lost the agent's eyes; He wanted to survive the fall of this 40-meter section of the skyscraper.

This time there were three explosions at once. Now it was only a matter of time before the skyscraper collapsed down, causing great damage and loss.

The skyscraper collapsed in parts, and Chris, who could no longer hold himself, now fell down to his doom along with the floor in the room he was in.

He saw pieces of shards flying beside him, it began to hurt him, and before he could recover, still conscious he was buried in the ruins in the dark after a severe fall and tried to breathe deeply.

One shard pierced his right eye, his partially broken head was in a puddle of blood, and both his legs were crushed into a bloody porridge, and his chest was pierced by a steel building bar. The only part of his body capable of movement could be his augmented left hand, but it was already separated from his body, so that this part of his body could see the wires of his separate augmented robotic left hand still linked to a bloody piece of his flesh and bleeding veins at his shoulder.

He closed his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

He heard a beep. He opened his left eye. He couldn't talk. He for a few minutes, when he closed his eyes thought that he is dead. He heard the sound of debris moving and saw Jensen. He was blinded by the light and blinked painfully.

"Help is here." Jensen said and dying Chris watched as he lifted the debris over him and he said to paramedics "Take him to the hospital as soon as possible."

He closed his left eye again. He only heard the surrounding sounds, but they also died shortly afterwards.

He was in an ambulance bed. He opened his left eye again, then closed it again.

"3, 2, 1, now!" He heard the voice of one of the rescuers, and at that moment he felt an electroshock on his chest. He fainted again.

All he heard were his own unstable painful breaths and exhalations. His left eye was closed. He saw only darkness. He could hear himself breathing deeply. He could not feel his feet, nor his left and right hand. But for that, he felt that he was lying on a moderately comfortable bed.

He barely tried to open his only functional eye, so the bright light blinded him. He blinked as he breathed deeply into the breathing apparatus.

He saw a large robotic arm in front of him.

_"The patient is stabilized. The operation can begin." _a woman's voice came from the machine.

He closed his left eye again and breathed deeply. He had an anesthetized rest of his body and felt no pain.

But he opened his eyes several times for the operation. When he regained the strength to open his left eye, he saw the second robotic arm, which was attached to the operating room bed, began to gently and slowly remove the rusty steel bar that pierced his chest while the first arm operated on his right eye.

For a second he could see his belly ripped open, and only now did he notice that there were ten of those robotic arms.

As the first robotic arm worked on his eye, Chris felt how from the eye on his nose is blood running down his face.

But his right eye was already written off. Chris, who was partially conscious, recognized this when the machine, instead of removing the shard from his eye and then sewing the laser back together, began pulling the eyeball out of his skull.

He wanted to scream, but he couldn't let himself move.

He closed his left eye for a moment again when he saw the robotic arm holding his eyeball and putting it on the steel table beside him.

Only now that his eyes were closed again for a moment did he remember how his skull had been broken after impact and did not understand how he could survive.

He opened his eyes again and choked for a moment. He heard the beep again, and only now, when he looked at his ripped belly, did he notice that his lungs were gone. He choked. He was choking for almost two minutes, and in the meantime, he opened and closed his eyes regularly, seeing in the middle of it a bit as two robotic arms replaced his robotic lungs instead of his original destroyed lungs. Within less than a minute, they had finished, and Chris was starting to breathe again.

He closed his left eye again for a moment. Time was different for him. It all went for him in seconds.

When he opened his left eye again, he saw the first robotic arm operating an implant replacement instead of his original right eye. He watched how the robotic surgeon with grear precision had made it firmly in his skull.

He closed his eyes again for a moment. He couldn't see from the back that the other two robotic arms were taking care of his head surgery.

After some time he opened his eyes again. He heard his breaths and exhale, along with the machine sounds that made the movements of robotic surgeons.

This time he managed to open both eyes, and the view from both eyes was completely different than before.

It was as if his eyes and his mind were literally computer. On the lower left side of his field of vision, he saw a light green box that showed his heartbeat in real time. There was a light green watch on the upper right side of his field of view. And that was just two of many things.

He closed his eyes again. The way the remaining hands took care of his remaining damaged organs from his rib cage and his arms and legs.

He opened his eyes. He felt himself lying on a soft bed, only in his underwear, covered with a not so comfortable duvet.

Feeling the cold breeze of air on his face, he realized he no longer had a breathing apparatus at his mouth. He could feel his exhalations from his nose touching his beard.

"Dad!" before he could look around, he heard the voice of his six-year-old son who embraced him immediately.

"Wow, George, I didn't expect you to come after me like that immediately." were Chris' first words.

The boy was almost crying with his father still lying on the hospital bed, unable to believe his father nearly died.

Carmen also joined. Chris enjoyed embracing both of his offspring, except Ryan, who stood at the back not far from his mother and his uncle was silent.

Martin looked at the silent Ryan and patted his shoulder; "Your father loves you. Don't worry and go to him."

Ryan looked at his uncle again, then swallowed as he looked at his father lying in the hospital bed. Eventually he took courage, came to bed, and hugged his father along with his two younger siblings.

To Chris' surprise, his eldest son began to cry as he hugged him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have treated to you like this lately. You almost died." Ryan cried.

So far, both Carmen and George didn't understand this, so they'd better stop hugging their father to solve it with their oldest sibling.

"It's my fault, too, Ryan. I should have paid more attention to you, to do with you what you like as the right father and son and not to rebuke you every time." Chris said and he only now moved.

Ryan stepped back because his father decided to get up.

Chris sat on the hospital bed again, and to his surprise he had both upper left limbs augmented, and not only those, even his two legs.

And, as before, there was no cheap prosthesis. As before, it was exactly the type of augmentation that shaped the shape of human limbs. It even had aluminum muscles. And as before, those augmentations had his favorite combination of colors: black and green.

It was quite a shock to Chris that all his limbs were robotic now.

Aviva came to him again and hugged him. When Chris found it odd before, it was even more odd now.

"You had to get implants to replace your heart and lungs." she said kinda shocked and again she pressed against his chest. Their children watched them a little bit awkward. Martin reacted to this immediately.

"Today, I cough on to work. You and your cousins will go to the cinema and take you with your aunt to the amusement park. Your parents just need to recover after all this." Martin said and took the children out of the room.

When Chris looked out the window while he hugged his wife, he noticed that it was still night. The futuristic city was still glowing blue.

He enjoyed the embrace of his life love when at that moment they both heard a rather strong knock on the room door. Chris turned to see Jensen.

Chris quickly dressed in his new outfit and the agent came in.

"Your husband was lucky he even survived. He was worse off than I had survived." Jensen said when he looked at Aviva, still pressing against chest of her husband.

"Who are you?" she asked

"I'm Adam Jensen and I'm an Interpol agent. Your husband has been in contact with me lately and has helped me accomplish one of my personal matters in this city. Plus, you're free from your enemy."

Aviva didn't understand what was going on, and Chris smiled a little nervously, indicating that it was true.

"Where's my stuff in my suit?" Chris asked Aviva and he looked at her.

"You can pick them up here in the hospital."

Chris was relieved that he hadn't lost the box that Zach had given him before he died.

Jensen came to Chris.

"What have you found out?" Agent asked.

"That it was confirmed. Zach's already dead, so there's one less." Chris told Jensen, but the rest, which Zach told him he kept for himself.

"I made sure your operation was financed by Interpol itself, so you may have about as much as I do. My boss then wants to give you an offer."

"Offer?"

"Would you like to work in Interpol?"

"No thanks, my family is finally safe, and as a biologist, I'm happy."

Jensen turned and left.

A tense atmosphere echoed across Falcon City at night, especially after an event that could be considered a terrorist attack.


End file.
